Synopsis of Chapters. xiii 



— His strange objection to a rotation of crops explained — 

 General reluctance amono; old-fasliioned farmers to imitate his 

 system — His process of wheat and turnip cultivation without 

 stercoration, and the cost compared with that of the old hus- 

 bandry — The opinions of posterity on his services to the 

 national agriculture — Duckett's system of husbandry — History 

 of the introdiiction of turnip hu^bandr}' into various parts of 

 the kingdom — Young's advocacy of some simple method of 

 accounts — His advice to the j'oung farmer to take a holding in 

 size proport'onate to the extent of his capital — A careful de- 

 scription of the Norfolk four-course systeni derived from Young's 

 Farmer^s Kaleitdar — His want of judgment in the management 

 of the flock pointed out and explained — The difficulty for the 

 eighteenth century shepherd to find suitable food in the early 

 spring for his ewes and lambs — Tlie cultivation of burnet and 

 sainfoin described — The introduction of the swede turnip by Rey- 

 nolds of Adisham — The potato husbandry of the period — View 

 of Norfolk farming in general, and of that of the Holkham 

 estate in particular — The management of permanent pastures 

 and meadow lands shortly described ..... 233-259 



CHAPTER XII. 



THE FARM LIVESTOCK OF THE PERIOD. 



The botanical knowledge of the age and the services of the Swedish 

 naturalists — Varieties of grasses and fodder plants — Advanced 

 knowledge of an English writer — Sustaining and fattening 

 powers of fodder crops and natural grasses— Various breeds of 

 domestic animals at this period — Average weights and different 

 qualifications of cattle for milking, butchering, and draught 

 purposes — General management of the herd both here and 

 abroad — Fattening of cattle for the metropolitan and other 

 markets — Prices of celebrated cattle — Varieties of sheep, and 

 the divergence of opinion in different parts of the country on 

 the best species — Bakewell's new breed, and the introduction 

 by Ellman and Webb of the Southdown — Selection of a breed 

 suitable for the soil and climate of each locality — Decline of 

 the wool trade and its causes — Requirements and restrictions 

 of the Eastern trade — A Merchandise Marks Act in France — 

 The careful management bestowed on foreign flocks of sheep — 

 The Italian and Spanish methods contrasted with the English 

 practice — Causes for the depreciation of and decline in the 

 English wool trade — The economy practised amongst flock- 

 masters in various parts of this country towards the end of the 

 century — The effects of Bakewell's practice on the entire sheep 

 management of the kingdom — Weights of fat sheep of different 

 breeds, and the superiority of the New Leicesters — The man- 

 agement of the Dishley flock— The sacrifice of the old excel- 

 lence of our wool pi'oducts for the sake of the px'ofits of the 

 meat market — Anecdotes illustrative of the superiority of 

 Southdown mutton — A few concluding remarks on pig and 

 poultry management 2G0--279 



